Limitless Word
That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.
Psalms 83:18 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB that they may know that you alone, whose name is Yahweh, are the Most High over all the earth.
  • BSB May they know that You alone, whose name is the LORD, are Most High over all the earth.
  • NKJV That they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord, Are the Most High over all the earth.
  • NASB So that they will know that You alone, whose name is the Lord, Are the Most High over all the earth.
  • NLT Then they will learn that you alone are called the Lord, that you alone are the Most High, supreme over all the earth.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

The psalm's goal is that all may know that the LORD alone, Yahweh, is the Most High over all the earth. God's ultimate aim is the recognition of His supremacy.

Overview

The climax reveals the deepest purpose behind the prayer: not merely Israel's safety but the universal acknowledgment that Yahweh alone is God Most High over all the earth. God's actions in history serve the glory of His name. This anticipates the day when every knee will bow and confess His lordship through Christ (Phil. 2:10-11).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 20

  • Exod 6:3And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
  • Ps 59:13Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah.
  • Jer 16:21Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is The LORD.
  • Ezek 38:23Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.
  • 2 Kgs 19:19Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only.
  • Ps 97:9For thou, LORD, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.
  • Dan 4:32And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
  • Isa 42:8I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
  • Ezek 30:19Thus will I execute judgments in Egypt: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
  • 1 Kgs 18:37Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
  • Ps 92:8But thou, LORD, art most high for evermore.
  • Isa 54:5For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.
  • Mic 4:13Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the LORD, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.
  • Ps 9:2I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.
  • Gen 22:14And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
  • Ps 9:16The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.
  • Isa 5:16But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.
  • Dan 4:25That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
  • Zech 4:14Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the LORD of the whole earth.
  • Ps 18:13The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Psalms videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Psalms 83:18YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PsalmsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.

How Psalms 83:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.